Cotton picking and harvesting machine.



PATENTED SEPT. 4, 190,6.

bio. 830,443.

W. H. LE VIN. COTTON PIGKING-AND HARVESTING MACHINE.

APFLIGATION FILED SEPT. 3. 1904.

3 SHEETSw-SHBET 1.

I fizz/672E071 Wz'hzesses.

PATBNTED SEPT. 4, 1906 W. H. LB VIN.

COTTON PIGKING AND HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 3. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W272? ess es.

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" PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906.

W. H. LE VIN. COTTON PIGKING AND HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 3. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

\l 1/ 2/ H M Mm m m N\ I HQN QN muN llrlflli lll WILLIAM H. LE VIN, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

COTTQN PIC KING AND HARVESTING MACHINE.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

.l kiinlieariou filed September 3,1904. Serial No. 223.276.

Be it known that I, Wnmrm H. [in VIN, a resident of the city of Xew Orleans, in the State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in (otton Piekers and Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the elass ol eot t on pickers and harvesters 111 which pneumatic force and suction-hose are used.

The objects of my improvements are. to provide a means tor the easy application ol suction-hose to the ripe eotton-lmll at all panying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation ol' the haryester. Fig. 2 is an end elevation from the rear. showing the right-hand half complete. The lefthand half is similar in construction. Fig. 3 is a plan View of \xagon-bed and the attached mechanism, taken below line .1: .11, Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. lis a detail ol the head ol' the llexible shaft and its attachment to the metal pneumatic tube and the suction-hose and attachment of same to the metal tube. Fig. 5 is a. detail of the lower end of the flexible shalt and sheath, the picking meehanism, the lower end of the suction-hose, and the perforated cup attached thereto. Fig. 6 is the special wheel used in the exhaust-tan.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts througl'iout the several views.

The mechanism is properly secured upon a flat wagon-bed mounted upon four wheels of sufficient height to permit of the cottonplants passing under the wagon-bed between the wheels Without injury. The bed and wheels are, as indicated in Figs. 1,2,and3 and may be of any construction suitable for the purpose.

The framework 1, surrounding the wagonbed a'nd'supporting parts of the mechanism, is preferably made of steel. The motor 2, secured to the Wagon-bed, may be of any style capable'of generating the speed and power required for the movement of the machinery,

. preferably a gasolene or oil engine of the an tomobile type.

To the wagon-bed is secured the exhaustfan 3 of suitable size, provided with a wheel of the type shown in Fig. 6. This wheel is ro 'tated at a roper speed by the motor 2 by means of t e belt 5, driven by the pulley 4,

keye-zi to the shalt ti, journaled in bearings 7, whieh are seenred to thel'ramework 1. The shalt (3 is rotated by the pulley 8, driven by th belt .i from the motor 2. Also keyed to the shalt ll is th pulley ll], which by means ill the belt 11 rotates the pulley l2, keyed to fthe horizontal shall 16. journaled in the bearings l7, which are seeured to the bed-plate. The shaft 16 drives the horizontal pulleys 13 by means of the bevel-gears ll 15. The pulleys l3 and bevel-gears l5 are keyed to Vertical shalts journalezl in suitable bearings 18, secured to llie\\'a;ron.-l e(l,. l lntering the taneasing at. it) are two m tal tubes 20 of suitaable size, properly secured to the fan and supported by suitable braces attached to the steel frame. as at 21. Attached to the tube 20 are the metal braneh tubes 22, which extend outwardly and curve downward until their projecting end is parallel to the wagon-bed. Attached to the branch tubes 22 by suitable collar-s23 and properly sustained in bearings ZS-are the pulleys 24, in which are keyed the heads of the llexible shalt-s 26, sheathed in suitable llexiblo cases 27. These lleXible shalts 26 are rotated at a proper speed by the belts 28 passing over and between the pulleys 24 from the driving-pulle s13. Also attached to the metal branch tubes 22 by suitable couplings'29 are suitable lengths of flexible suctionhose 3(), along; which the flexible shafts 26 and sheaths 27 extend into the metal cups 31, perforated, as at 32, which cups are attached by suitable couplings to the ends of the suction-hose 30. The ilexible shafts 26 and sheaths 27 are secured to the suction-hose 30 by straps 2,7 at suitable intervals. At the lower end of each flexible shaft 26 is the rotating picker 33, which is secured to and rotated by the flexible shaft within the metal -cup 31, as shown in Fig. 5. Attached to each metal cup in a secure manner is a handle 41 for convenience in the application of the cup to the ripe cotton-bolls.

The cotton detached by the rotating picker 33 is drawn up through the suctionhose 30, into and through the metal tubes 22 and 20, into the fan 3 at the inlet 19, and is carried by the force of the fan-blade (shown in Fig. 6) into tlu'JExit-plpe 34,fwhence it is discharged into the bin 35. .fg Thi's bin may be of any suitable size,and forni, with screened. sides and top to permit the escape'of the air,

and is provided with a door 36 for the removal of the cotton. 38 and 39 arethe stops and latforin provided for the motorman the detaching of the metal tubes. by a flange-joint (shown at 40). when the har vester is not in use.

My. improved cotton-pickers 33 comprise a shank having oppositely-arranged backwardly-projecting flukes secured to the shank, the pickers resembling somewhat in shape an anchor. With this arrangement the flukes offer no resistance to the passage of the cotton thereover when the air is exhausted from the nozzle, while at the same timefaffording sufficient resistance to the passage of the cotton toward. the open end of the nozzle. In this arrangement the lia-' bility of clogging of the pickers from an oversu )ply of unrenioved cotton is avoided.

' do not Wish to limit myself to the precise detail and arrangement of parts, as some slight change may be found in actual construction to be more advantageous, and I wish to consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alter the general form, promy invention.

[I am aware that prior to my invention vided such'ehanges are within the scope of pneumatic cotton-pickers have been madewith exhaust-fans 0 )erated in conjunction with suction-h ose therefore do not claim such combination broadly; but

What I do claim as my invention, and de-' sire to secure b Letters Patent, is

1. The eomiination in a cotton picking and harvesting machine, of a carriage, a niotor, a shaft arranged above the motor and longitudinally of the carriage, a shaft arcient power could BSOAAE the bin, cups on the ends of the tubes, cotton-pickers in the cups, 8. connection) be tween the transverse shaft and tl1e'cottoi1- pickers, an exhaust-fan intermediate the tubes and the bin, and a connection between the fan and the longitudinal shaft.'

2. The combination in a cotton picking and harvesting machine, -of a carriage, an

exhaust-fallen ported thereon, a rector, a shaft journaled longitudinally of the car riage and above the motor, a belt connecting the longitudinal shaft and the motor, a belt connecting the longitudinal shaft to the fan, a shaft journaled transversely of the frame, a belt connecting the longitudinal and transverse shafts, rigid tubes extending forwardly from the fan and diverging laterally at their free ends, rigid branches exten ing out wardly at an acute angle from the main tubes, flexible tubes depending from the branches, flexible shafts supported by the flexible tubes, means whereby the transverse shaft may impart motion to the flexible shafts, perforated cups on the ends of the flexible tubes, cottonickers in the cups and driven by the shafts, fiandles for manipulating the cups, a bin on the carria e, and a communication between the fan an the bin.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. LE vni.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL B. CORBITT, LIONEL V. REDPATH. 

